Commencement speaker: Enjoy life’s moments

That’s the commencement message she’s prepared as class representative, but Hackman will need to wait to deliver her address. Due to the global pandemic, NDSU’s spring commencement has been postponed until Friday, Dec. 18. She’s scheduled to speak at the 10 a.m. ceremony in the Sanford Health Athletic Complex for the Colleges of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Engineering; Human Sciences and Education; and Interdisciplinary Studies.

“The theme of my talk is little moments make life what it is,” said Hackman, who is from Otsego, Minnesota. “My hoped-for-take-away for the audience is that they start to live in the present more and enjoy the little moments as they happen. Those moments become our forever.”

Hackman has a dual major, studying elementary education and human development and family science. Following graduation, she has accepted a position as a second grade teacher at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Breckenridge, Minnesota.

“Being selected as class representative is an honor and a humbling experience. Coming to NDSU my freshman year, I had no idea that it would lead me here,” Hackman said. “I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone enough during the past four years to stand out and be known by faculty and others on campus.”

During her collegiate career, Hackman became an energetic leader in several NDSU student organizations. She is a past president of the College of Human Sciences and Education Ambassadors, former vice president of the Elementary Education Club and past treasurer of the Human Development and Family Science Club.

“NDSU was the right choice for me,” she said. “From the moment I stepped on campus during my tour, it felt like home. NDSU gave me two of my best friends, an education that I am proud of and close relationships with faculty that I wasn’t expecting to make.”

Hackman graduates from NDSU with the knowledge that she is prepared both for her future career and life.

“I walked away from my classes not only with information that will relate to my career, but also life lessons,” she said. “The professors gave me confidence to try new things, and to rethink and try again when something didn’t work. I am incredibly grateful for what NDSU has done for me the past four years.”

North Dakota State University is distinctive as a student-focused, land-grant, research university. We are a top-ranked institution, providing affordable access to an excellent education that combines teaching and research in a rich learning environment. We educate leaders who solve national and global challenges – our graduates shape a better world.